Scamproof your savings - Pension scams. Don't get stung - The Pensions Advisory Service
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Scamproof your savings Pension scams. Don’t get stung.
Pension scams: the facts
Pensions are changing. From April 2015, if you are
over 55 years old, you can access your pension
savings in new ways.
Scammers are after your pension pot. They will try
to lure you with promises of one-off investments,
pension loans or upfront cash. Most of these are
bogus.
If you’re under age 55, you cannot release your
pension unless you are too ill to work. Read the
checklist on the next page to get to know the
hallmarks of a scam.
If you’re over 55, you can release funds from
your pension from April 2015. You may still be
at risk from scammers. Make sure you use the
government’s Pension Wise service to understand
your options. You might also want to speak to
an adviser who is authorised by the Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA) before making any
decisions that could affect the rest of your life.
See the back of this booklet for useful links and
contacts.
By following the tips in this guide, you are giving
yourself the best possible protection against
scammers. Arm yourself with the facts and
stop a lifetime’s savings being lost.
Pension scams Help for individuals 2
How to spot the warning signs
Some of the most common tactics used by scammers to trick you out of your savings
Convincing marketing
A cold call, text message,
materials that promise you
website pop-up or returns of over 8% on your
someone coming to your investment
door offering you a ‘free
pension review’, ‘one-off
investment opportunity’ Paperwork delivered
or ‘legal loophole’ to your door by
courier that requires
immediate signature
Pension
access A proposal to put your money
before age in a single investment. In most
Overseas
55
circumstances, financial advisers will
transfer of
suggest diversification of assets.
the funds
Scammers don’t care whether you’re an inexperienced investor or have never put your money
anywhere other than a bank. They will try to flatter, tempt and pressure you into transferring your
pension fund into an investment with attractive sounding returns. Once you’ve signed the forms
and the transfer has gone through, it’s too late. You’ll probably lose all your savings and end up
with nothing but a hefty tax bill. Remember, the only people who benefit from scams are the
scammers themselves.
What can I do with my pension pot?
Under age 55 Age 55 or older*
û You can’t release or ‘cash in’ your pension ü You can use your pension to buy a regular
(unless you are too ill to work) income for the rest of your life (an ‘annuity’)
ü You can transfer your pension from one ü You can use your pension to provide a
regulated scheme to another flexible retirement income (‘flexi-access
drawdown’)
ü You can take your pension as cash in stages
ü You can take the whole pot as cash in one go
There may be tax implications for how you access your savings
*from April 2015
Pension scams Help for individuals 3
Oliver’s story
Tricked into being part of the scam
Age: 45
Length of time in company pension: 15 years
Investment offer: overseas property developments
Oliver is cold called by someone who says his name is Paul, a financial
adviser authorised by the government. He asks if Oliver is interested in
making the money in his pension pot work harder – as well as releasing
some funds for Oliver to spend as he likes.
Paul says he could get Oliver an initial cash back bonus of 30% of the
value of his pension pot, and a much better return on his money –
around 8%. All he needs to do is sign a document saying he wants to
transfer his pension into another scheme, and the money will then get
invested in a hotel complex in an up-and-coming area of Spain.
Paul tells him that if he agrees to be ‘locked in’ to the investment for 10
years, he will get an annual cash back payment of £1,000. Oliver is keen
to make the most of his money – he’s heard that he’ll be able to do what
he wants with his savings when he’s 55, so thinks this could be a good
solution to beating the current low interest rates that mean his pension
pot isn’t growing as quickly as he’d like.
Oliver’s a bit concerned that it sounds too good to be true, but Paul
reassures him. He says he understands there are lots of crooks out there
but he’s government registered. He promises to send Oliver some
marketing material and encourages him to check out the website. He
tells Oliver that there are only a few opportunities left and that it’s a
time-limited offer, so if he wants to make the most of it, he should act
quickly.
The next day, Oliver gets a glossy brochure through his door – he has a
read through and it looks very slick and professional. The website also
seems completely legitimate. Oliver likes to think he’s an intelligent
person, and Paul seems very nice and credible. In fact, Paul calls back
that afternoon, and Oliver decides that you only live once – why not go
for it? You have to speculate to accumulate.
Within a couple of hours, a courier comes round with some papers to
sign. Oliver has a quick look through them and is surprised to see that
the documents say he is now a company director and trustee of his
pension scheme. He doesn’t remember Paul saying anything about
making him a company director, but the courier can’t give him any more
information and Oliver keeps thinking of the time-limited offer. So he
signs on the dotted line.
Pension scams Help for individuals 4Later that year, Oliver decides to call up and check on how his
investment’s doing. The line is disconnected, so he searches online
and finds out that some pension transfer offers are scams. After several
more months of trying to locate Paul and the missing money, Oliver
calls the police and comes to realise that he has probably lost his whole
pension pot. By signing the papers and becoming a company director,
he has taken on new legal duties with Companies House and HMRC
that he didn’t know about. This leads to HMRC fining him for tax-related
offences. Not only has Oliver lost 15 years’ worth of savings – he’s also
having to pay thousands of pounds in fines to the authorities.
What should Oliver have spotted?
• Cold call
• Claims of adviser being authorised by government –
but not registered with the FCA
• Promises of cash back under the age of 55
• Unrealistic returns of at least 8%
• Promises of higher returns if he agrees to being
‘locked in’ to a single investment for a number of years
• Being rushed into signing couriered documents with
promises of a time-limited offer
• Documents naming him as company director and
trustee of the pension scheme
Pension scams Help for individuals 5How to scamproof yourself
• Stop. Think about it. A genuine adviser will never
rush you into a decision
• Make sure the adviser is registered by the Financial
Conduct Authority at www.fca.org.uk/register
• Look at the FCA’s Scamsmart warning list at
www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart – this will tell you
the names of investment schemes that are
known scams
• If you are approaching 55 or about to retire,
Pension Wise can tell you more about what you can
do with your retirement pot. Visit the website at
www.pensionwise.gov.uk
• Before you sign anything, call The Pensions
Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047 for information
and advice about pension scams
• If you’ve already signed the papers, report it to
Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call
0300 123 2040
If you take financial advice by someone registered with the FCA, you may be able to
claim compensation if something goes wrong. If the adviser isn’t registered, you risk
losing everything.
Pension scams Help for individuals 6Information and guidance
on options when
approaching retirement:
www.pensionwise.gov.uk
Impartial information and
guidance on scams:
0300 123 1047
www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk
If you suspect a scam, call:
A cross-government initiative by:
Pension scams
Help for individuals
© The Pensions Regulator March 2015
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